What I'm about to write may just wreck your tidy notions. It wrecked mine.
I'll admit, I'm a list-maker. Not only do I like making lists and checking them off as I do them, but I sometimes (actually most of the time) do something, write it down, and cross it off just for pure satisfaction and sense of "accomplishment." I can identify with all the list-making, planning, hi-lighting, and sticky-note users out there. Nerdy? Maybe, but it's how I function. My life makes so much more sense when I write it down. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Early on in my new life as a believer in Christ, I began reading the Bible for myself and learning as I read. I was joyfully discovering God for the first time as He reveals Himself through His Word. There were more mature believers in Christ who encouraged me to continue to learn and grow in my faith by spending quiet time reading my Bible. Being the list-maker that I am, I started writing "Read Bible" in my planner. I would read, and mark it off...
until I was advised otherwise.
From multiple well-meaning Christians from various platforms, I was warned not to read God's Word simply to check it off my list. My guess is, you've probably heard a similar warning if you have attended church from your childhood. Because "reading God's Word to check it off your list" was discouraged, I began to feel slightly guilty that I had been including "Read Bible" in my lists. Even though I knew that the ones who were warning us young people of this were warning us so that we would build our lives around God's Word rather than fitting God's Word into our lives, I still began to question my motives.
I stopped writing it down. As a result, I eventually slacked off of spending time in God's Word. As the old expression goes, I threw the baby out with the bath water. As simple as it may be, a combination of good intentions and a false sense of guilt kept me from using the method that worked best for me.
On multiple occasions since then, I have heard Christians refer to their lack of spending time with God and then express their desire to not simply do it to check it off their list. As someone who has been there and done that, I want to say, "For heaven's sake, just check it off your list!"
Don't let the fear of doing it out of "wrong" motives make you hesitant about reading your Bible. Worse yet, don't let it keep you from spending time reading God's Word altogether. Do what works. If you need to make a list, make a list. Few things would make me happier than seeing "Read Bible" etched into more daily planners. What would make me even more happy, would be to see that "task" marked off. Ultimately, I could not care less about what method you use to keep yourself in God's Word, but whatever method you use, make like Nike and "Just do it".
Let me be honest with you; there are days even now when I read my Bible just to "check it off my list" (gasp!). Let me tell you something even more shocking; It's great!
There are days when it seems like my time in God's Word could never be long enough because I crave it. There are other days when I don't care about reading it. It is in these "other" days that my list-making and commitment to "Just do it" come in handy. I begin, and my motives truly are to just "check it off my list", but what I've found is that as I read anyway, God transforms my motives. I begin reading to simply get it done, and then God begins speaking through His Word and I end my quiet time having been encouraged, convicted, or taught.
There are times, though, when I begin reading and end having not felt spiritually fed. I've found that how I feel doesn't matter so much. As I keep reading, God sooner or later uses the things that I read in my life in some way.
God says in both the Old and New Testament, "man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4). Let's not fool ourselves and try to live on bread alone. Feast on God's Word and live.
Maybe you've adopted this idea that you can't read God's Word just to mark it off your list. I hope that I've encouraged you to just do it, no matter your motive. I pray that as you do, God transforms your "get it done" mentality into rich personal encounters with God and makes you like David in Psalm 119. Seriously, the man loves God's Word so much he can hardly stop writing about it. He starts in verse one and finally concludes 176 verses later!
David writes things like:
"I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways." (Psalm 119:15).
"Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wonderful things from Your instruction" (Psalm 119:18).
"Your decrees are my delight and my counselors" (Psalm 119:24).
"I pursue the way of Your commands, for You broaden my understanding" (Psalm 119:32).
"I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:162).
I pray your check list becomes a treasure hunt! In the mean time, read anyway.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
I'll admit, I'm a list-maker. Not only do I like making lists and checking them off as I do them, but I sometimes (actually most of the time) do something, write it down, and cross it off just for pure satisfaction and sense of "accomplishment." I can identify with all the list-making, planning, hi-lighting, and sticky-note users out there. Nerdy? Maybe, but it's how I function. My life makes so much more sense when I write it down. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Early on in my new life as a believer in Christ, I began reading the Bible for myself and learning as I read. I was joyfully discovering God for the first time as He reveals Himself through His Word. There were more mature believers in Christ who encouraged me to continue to learn and grow in my faith by spending quiet time reading my Bible. Being the list-maker that I am, I started writing "Read Bible" in my planner. I would read, and mark it off...
until I was advised otherwise.
I stopped writing it down. As a result, I eventually slacked off of spending time in God's Word. As the old expression goes, I threw the baby out with the bath water. As simple as it may be, a combination of good intentions and a false sense of guilt kept me from using the method that worked best for me.
On multiple occasions since then, I have heard Christians refer to their lack of spending time with God and then express their desire to not simply do it to check it off their list. As someone who has been there and done that, I want to say, "For heaven's sake, just check it off your list!"
Don't let the fear of doing it out of "wrong" motives make you hesitant about reading your Bible. Worse yet, don't let it keep you from spending time reading God's Word altogether. Do what works. If you need to make a list, make a list. Few things would make me happier than seeing "Read Bible" etched into more daily planners. What would make me even more happy, would be to see that "task" marked off. Ultimately, I could not care less about what method you use to keep yourself in God's Word, but whatever method you use, make like Nike and "Just do it".
Let me be honest with you; there are days even now when I read my Bible just to "check it off my list" (gasp!). Let me tell you something even more shocking; It's great!
There are days when it seems like my time in God's Word could never be long enough because I crave it. There are other days when I don't care about reading it. It is in these "other" days that my list-making and commitment to "Just do it" come in handy. I begin, and my motives truly are to just "check it off my list", but what I've found is that as I read anyway, God transforms my motives. I begin reading to simply get it done, and then God begins speaking through His Word and I end my quiet time having been encouraged, convicted, or taught.
There are times, though, when I begin reading and end having not felt spiritually fed. I've found that how I feel doesn't matter so much. As I keep reading, God sooner or later uses the things that I read in my life in some way.
God says in both the Old and New Testament, "man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4). Let's not fool ourselves and try to live on bread alone. Feast on God's Word and live.
Maybe you've adopted this idea that you can't read God's Word just to mark it off your list. I hope that I've encouraged you to just do it, no matter your motive. I pray that as you do, God transforms your "get it done" mentality into rich personal encounters with God and makes you like David in Psalm 119. Seriously, the man loves God's Word so much he can hardly stop writing about it. He starts in verse one and finally concludes 176 verses later!
David writes things like:
"I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways." (Psalm 119:15).
"Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wonderful things from Your instruction" (Psalm 119:18).
"Your decrees are my delight and my counselors" (Psalm 119:24).
"I pursue the way of Your commands, for You broaden my understanding" (Psalm 119:32).
"I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:162).
I pray your check list becomes a treasure hunt! In the mean time, read anyway.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
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